We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

The United States Constitution was written in 1787 and was amended in 1789 to include what we commonly refer to as The Bill of Rights specifically designed to protect our rights and freedoms. Although a lot has changed in the past 200 years, our rights and freedoms still require protection, especially when it pertains to receiving medical care. At Hospice of the Valleys we believe that each patient has the right to effective pain and symptom management and to choose the best type of treatment for them, including the right to refuse treatment when it is no longer beneficial or produces undesirable side effects.

Congress has crafted the Medicare Hospice Benefit to include several specific patient rights which all Medicare patients are entitled to. For example, patients have the right to choose the Hospice which they feel will best meet their needs including the right to transfer from one they are receiving. Although the list below is not comprehensive, it lists several additional patient rights enumerated in the Medicare Conditions of Participation. If you or someone you know has questions or concerns regarding Hospice Care, please feel free to contact us at 951-200-7800 and we would be happy to help.

Hospice Patient Rights[i]

The Medicare Conditions of Participations grant hospice patients specific enumerated rights. Each patient has a right to:

(1) Receive effective pain management and symptom control from the hospice for conditions related to the terminal illness;

(2) Be involved in developed his or her hospice plan of care;

(3) Refuse care or treatment;

(4) Choose his or her attending physician;

(5) Have a confidential clinical record;

(6) Be free from mistreatment, neglect, or verbal, mental, sexual, and physical abuse, including injuries of unknown source, and misappropriation of patient property;

(7) Receive information about the services covered under the hospice benefit;

(8) Receive information about the scope of services that the hospice will provide and specific limitations on those services.